Cowon

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Company logo
Korean spelling
Korean alphabet : 코원
Revised Romanization : Kowon
McCune-Reischauer : K'owŏn

Cowon is a South Korean company headquartered in Seoul . The company specializes in multimedia applications. The company is organized in two different divisions - in the multimedia area digital audio / video / voice and in a wireless Internet technology segment. Cowon is primarily active in the Korean market, but has also gained a foothold around the world through MP3 players and software. Cowon's internet technology is sold almost exclusively in the Korean market.

History of the company

Cowon was founded in Korea in 1995 and was the first company in Korea to bring JetTalk, a TTS software, to the market. In the following years, the company was mainly concerned with the further development of text and speech recognition. In 1997, Cowon launched the first version of the JetAudio MP3 player .

In 1998, Cowon received several national and international awards for JetAudio . The special chips for speech recognition were another success. As early as 1999, Cowon made the first attempts at flash players. JetAudio remained the mainstay of the company .

In 2000, Cowon founded JetAudio Inc. in the USA, which has since been renamed Cowon America. In the same year the first MP3 player iAudio was launched , which was further developed in the following years.

Business figures

Cowon is a member of the Korean technology index KOSDAQ with a market capitalization of 29,504 million won , which at a conversion rate of 0.0008 euros / won corresponds to approximately 23.6 million euros. In 2005, sales were 99,504 million won (about 79 million euros) and net income was about 11,000 million won (about 8.8 million euros).

Cowon Media Center (JetAudio)

The media player Cowon Media Center ( JetAudio ) is one of Cowon's most famous products in international business. The basic version is freely available as freeware . However, there is also a paid plus version. The software not only plays MP3 , but also Ogg , MP4 , FLAC and various video formats such as WMV or MPEG . Files can be converted into the optimal format for the respective iAudio player. It is also suitable for managing, converting, recording and burning files. It is also equipped with JetCast (no longer available from version 7), a program for Internet radio.

Models

Cowon D2 / D2 +

Multimedia player with 2, 4, 8 or 16 GB flash memory , which can be expanded with an SDHC or MMC card.

Films and photos can be viewed on the 2.5-inch TFT touchscreen (LCD, QVGA, 320 × 240 pixels) with 16 million colors. According to the manufacturer, the player lasts up to 52 hours for music and up to 10 hours for movies on a single charge. Further features: text display, integrated radio with recording function, line-in and voice recording also via an external microphone, flash player support, notepad, calculator, video output via the TV output on the television.

The D2 + is a revised model with a revised user interface and improved sound output via BBE +. In contrast to its predecessor, the D2 + did not come with a power supply unit.

  • Supported music formats: MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, APE, AA (Audible)
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV (conversion required)
  • Supported photo formats: JPEG
  • Supports DRM 10 , " PlaysForSure " 2.0 and ID3 tags

COWON D2 colors: dark blue / silver or white / silver

COWON D2 + colors: black or silver

Cowon D2 DAB / D2 + DAB

The multimedia player has all the functions of the Cowon D2 / Cowon D2 + , and also has a digital radio ( DAB ), also for receiving DMB. The D2 DAB can also receive DAB + by updating to firmware 4.60b. At least with the D2 DAB, however, DAB + can only be used to a limited extent. Due to ambiguities in the construction of the German DAB + network up to 2011, scanning of channel 5 was excluded in the current firmware 4.60b, as this was subject to military use before DAB +. This means that it is not possible for the D2 DAB to receive the nationwide ensemble on channels 5A or 5C. Available with 4, 8 or 16 GB flash memory .

COWON D2 DAB colors: black or white (only 4 and 8 GB), 16 GB only black

COWON D2 + DAB colors: black or silver

Cowon iAudio 7

MP3 player with 4, 8 or 16 GB flash memory that can also display photos and videos. According to the manufacturer, the player has a stamina of up to 60 hours of audio playback on one battery charge. The 1.3 inch LC display has a resolution of 160 × 128 pixels with 260,000 color nuances and is operated via a touch pad.

  • Supported music formats: MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV
  • Supported video formats: AVI, MPEG4 (conversion required)
  • Supported photo formats: JPEG
  • Supports DRM 10, "PlaysForSure" 2.0 and ID3 tags
  • Further functions: FM radio with recording function, alarm clock, dictation machine, line-in recording.
  • Colors: black / silver or black / red

Cowon A3

This portable multimedia player (PMP) with 30, 60 or 80 GB hard disk storage with recording function and optional DVB-T module for watching TV on the go. The 4-inch LC display in 16: 9 format has a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels. The player records films from TVs, camcorders and video recorders and also plays them on the television via an S-Video , component or composite output. Photos can be loaded directly from the digital camera to the player using the “On-the-Go” function. Playback time with one battery charge for video max. 7 hours and max. 13 hours with audio playback.

  • Supported music formats: MP3 / 2/1, ASF, WMA, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA (MKA), TTA, APE, MPC, WV, WAV, AC3
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA (MKV), MPG / MPEG, DAT, MTV, OGM
  • Supported photo formats: JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, RAW
  • Other functions: stereo speakers, FM radio with recording function, dictation machine, document viewer, line-in recording, USB host function.
  • Silver

Cowon Q5W

Portable multimedia player (PMP) with 40, 60 or 80 GB hard drive storage with WLAN and Bluetooth support (Bluetooth-compatible stereo headphones or headsets). The large 5-inch TFT LC display serves as a touchscreen and shows films and images in a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels ( WVGA ) with 16 million colors. The player is equipped with an RMI Alchemy processor (AU1250, 600 MHz) and the Windows CE 5.0 Professional operating system, including a browser ( Internet Explorer ) with Flash support. According to the manufacturer, the player should last up to 13 hours for mobile audio and up to 7 hours for video playback with one battery charge. The Cowon Q5W plays songs purchased online with DRM 10 protection.

  • Supported music formats: MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG, WAV, FLAC, APE, MPC
  • Supported video formats: AVI, ASF, WMV, MPG, OGM
  • Supported photo formats: JPG, BMP, PNG, NEF (Nikon RAW file) up to 10 MB
  • Other functions: TV output and supplied remote control for operating e.g. B. on the television, USB host function, FM radio, voice recorder and built-in stereo speakers.
  • Color: black / navy

Cowon iAudio U5

A pure MP3 player without video and photo function in a very flat design with 2, 4 or 8 GB flash memory .

  • Supported music formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, (OGG and FLAC only with firmware versions 3.xx)
  • Supports DRM 10, ID3 TAGs and M3U playlists
  • Other functions: FM radio with recording function and dictation machine
  • Weight: 35 grams
  • Dimensions: 85.1 × 41.1 × 9.3 mm
  • Playback time: max. 24 hours
  • Colours:
    • 2 GB: black / silver, white / silver
    • 4 GB: black / silver, black / red, white / silver, white / red
    • 8 GB: black / silver, white / silver

Cowon S9

Portable multimedia player with a capacitive 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen (referred to by Cowon as "AMOLED" (active matrix organic light emitting diode)) and Bluetooth support. The 8, 16 or 32 GB flash memory player can display music as well as photos and videos. According to the manufacturer, the player offers a stamina of up to 55 hours for audio and 11 hours for video playback on one battery charge. The display in 16: 9 format with 16 million colors has a resolution of 480 × 272 pixels. If you turn the player horizontally, the display adapts and shows the content in full width thanks to this auto-pivot function.

  • Supported music formats: MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, APE, AA (Audible 3/4 / AAX)
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV, ASF
  • Supported video codecs: Xvid SP / ASP, WMV 7/8/9, DivX 3/4/5
  • Supported photo formats: JPG
  • Supports DRM 10 and ID3 tags (ID3 V1, ID3 V2.2 / V2.3 / V2.4, Vorbis Comment, MP4 Tag)
  • Other functions: FM radio with recording function, voice recorder, text display (TXT), TV output to watch videos on the television
  • Color: black / titanium, black / chrome, white
  • Dimensions: 57.08 × 105.75 × 12.7 mm (W × L × D)
  • Weight: approx. 77 grams including battery

Cowon O2PMP

Portable multimedia player with 4.3-inch TFT LCD touchscreen and SDHC card slot for memory expansion. The player with 8, 16 or 32 GB flash memory supports many video, music and photo formats and should play them without conversion. According to the manufacturer, the player offers a stamina of up to 18 hours for audio and 8 hours for video playback on one battery charge. The display in 16: 9 format with 16.7 million colors has a resolution of 480 × 272 pixels. Data z. B. Photos can be transferred directly from the SDHC card to the player and vice versa. Using the file browser, files on the COWON O2PMP or the SDHC card can be deleted or copied using drag & drop. A so-called mini display support, which can also be used as a stylus, is included.

  • Supported music formats: MP3 / 2/1, WMA, ASF, AC3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA (MKA), TTA, APE, MPC, WV, WAV
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA (MKV), OGM, MPG / MPEG, DAT, MTV
  • Supported video codecs: DivX 3.11 / 4/5/6, XviD, MPEG-4 SP / ASP, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, MPEG 1
  • Supported photo formats: JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, RAW
  • Supports ID3 tags: ID3 V1, ID3 V2.2 / V2.3 / V2.4, Vorbis Comment, APE Tag V2, MP4 Tag, MATROSKA Tag, WMA Tag
  • Other functions: dictation machine, text display (TXT), TV output to watch videos on the television, a built-in loudspeaker, calculator and notepad
  • Color: black or white
  • Dimensions: 11.95 × 7.34 × 1.80 cm (W × H × D)
  • Weight: approx. 205 grams including battery
  • Scope of delivery: COWON O2PMP, earphones, power supply, USB cable, mini display support incl. Stylus, software CD (operating instructions, COWON Media Center), brief instructions

Cowon iAudio 9

The Cowon iAudio 9 is a multimedia player that is equipped with 8 or 16 GB. Films and photos can be shown on the 2-inch TFT display (LCD, QVGA, 320 × 240 pixels) with 262,000 colors. According to the manufacturer, the player lasts up to 29 hours for music and up to 7 hours for video playback on a single charge. Further features: text display, integrated radio with recording function, dictation machine, Flash player support, video output via the TV output on the television. The player is operated via a capacitive touch pad.

  • Supported music codecs: MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, APE, AA (Audible)
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV, ASF
  • Supported video codecs: Xvid SP / ASP, WMV 7/8/9
  • Supported photo formats: JPEG
  • Supports gapless with LAME-encoded MP3 files, DRM 10 and ID3 tags (ID3 V1, ID3 V2.2 / V2.3 / V2.4, Vorbis Comment)
  • With BBE + sound technology and JetEffect 3.0 with 35 sound effect presets, 4 user-defined settings and 5 band equalizers.

Colors: black or white

Cowon J3

The Cowon J3 is a portable multimedia player with a 3.3-inch AMOLED display with touchscreen and microSD card slot. The player is available with 8, 16 or 32 GB flash memory. The display is in 16: 9 format and has a resolution of 480 × 272 pixels with 16 million colors. According to the manufacturer, the player offers a stamina of up to 64 hours for audio and 11 hours for video playback on a single charge.

  • Supported music codecs: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV, APE, AA (Audible)
  • Supported video formats: AVI, WMV, ASF
  • Supported video codecs: Xvid SP / ASP, WMV 7/8/9, DivX 3/4/5
  • Supported photo formats: JPEG
  • Integrated microphone and FM radio

iAudio

Today's versions of iAudio are available as both flash and hard disk players. The hard disk players are now all equipped with a high-resolution color display. In 2005 Cowon launched a Portable Media Player (PMP), which not only plays audio formats, but also video formats.

In general, iAudio players are known for their Vorbis support and - compared to competing products - good sound.

Freeware products

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Product description at Cowon Germany , accessed August 23, 2009
  2. ↑ Firmware update for Cowon D2 DAB ( ZIP ; 2.9 MB), accessed November 22, 2011
  3. ↑ Symptoms in blog.radiofuzzie.com , accessed November 22, 2011

Web links

Commons : Cowon  - collection of images, videos and audio files